There’s little to add to the well-deserved accolades these cathartic, dazzlingly executed Strauss excerpts have garnered over the years. Because the original recordings stem from two-track masters, RCA’s SACD transfer does not offer a multi-channel advantage over the previous Living Stereo CD edition. Yet the SACD component yields a heftier orchestral image and greater bass-register presence that reinforces the richness of Inge Borkh’s lower tessitura (she’s no slouch when it comes to high notes either). The percussion also packs a greater punch than before, especially in the Dance of the Seven Veils. It’s not the most seductively pliable interpretation around, but what slashing sonorities and breathtaking balancing of orchestral strands Reiner achieves!
However, these sonic upgrades are not so apparent when you play this hybrid disc on a standard CD player and compare it alongside the aforementioned Living Stereo conventional CD, whose slightly brighter equalization imparts just a little more bite and definition to brass attacks. My instinct is to stick with the latter if you don’t have SACD capability. If you do, the present reissue will show off both your home equipment and your cultivated musical taste. One caveat: the Living Stereo CD contains complete texts and translations, the SACD does not.
